Thursday, January 28, 2016

Bernie for President!

The most promising Democratic candidate in … as long as I can remember. Forget corporate shills like the Clintons: Bill Clinton’s economic record was just neoliberal poison (see also here). Why would Hillary be any better?

Sure, you can make criticisms of Bernie, but there is nobody else as good as him.



One point: he should go big on fiscal policy first and make the economy boom before reforming the tax system. Leave tax system reform until after unemployment has fallen to low levels, and one has to be careful with taxes on speculation (see Davidson 2002: 205–210).

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Davidson, P. 2002. Financial Markets, Money, and the Real World, Edward Elgar, Cheltenham.

13 comments:

  1. You know Bernie opposes free speech, right?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No doubt he's associated with the regressive left and takes some anti-free speech positions, and that is indeed very problematic.

      However, judged by the whole set of policies he advocates -- and in an imperfect world -- he is clearly the best on offer. His good points outweigh the bad.

      I'd be very surprised indeed if there is a Republican candidate (I assume you support one of them) who doesn't have at least some objectionable policies even to you, Ken B.

      Delete
    2. All of them do! As you say, it's always a lesser evil.

      I see Bernie as the lesser evil compared to Hillary. Not onb the basis of policies but for character and effectiveness (he'd be very ineffective.)

      Delete
    3. "You know Bernie opposes free speech, right?"

      How so?

      Delete
    4. You know Bernie opposes free speech, right?

      Not. It's the Anti-Free Speech Feminists & SJW's who oppose him:

      https://youtu.be/o6B-nlN9Z4k
      https://youtu.be/XkHjlROk4sg

      Delete
  2. Bernie opposes free speech?! What exactly are you referring to?
    You mean he opposes the idea that money is free speech? i.e politicians being bought etc.
    Can you give some evidence for what you are speaking of?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. In 2010 someone made a movie about a candidate, and that candidate sought to have the movie banned by the FEC. The USSC ruled that the FEC could not ban the movie, and Sanders has made over turning that decision a central theme of his campaign.

      I don't say he's as anti-free speech as that other candidate ...

      Sanders also voted against the online free speech act.

      For reference here is a proposed repeal of free speech for which a lot of the senate, Sanders included, voted.
      https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/113/sjres19/text/rs Note how astoundingly vague it is. It could prohibit publishing, making campaign signs, pretty much anything.

      Delete
    2. Congress and the States may regulate and set reasonable limits on the raising and spending of money by candidates and others to influence elections

      Right ON! And I would go further and make elections publically owned as well, so that candidates can only spend what's allowed/given to them by the government.

      Fyi, it appears the resolution has been re-written? In any case, the language is not "vague," it's clear that it's related specifically to spending.

      Delete
  3. So basically Sanders isn't anti-Free Speech, he's anti-corporations and rich Americans buying our Democratic process? It's so strange how those two things get conflated.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Horseshit. Lots of things are corporations, it's not just Google or GM. Unions, advocacy groups, small business as well. A corp[oration is just a way people organize.

      All publishers and broadcasters are corporations. Read the proposed amendment's wording.

      Delete
  4. Seriously. Image Ted Cruz made amending the constitution to allow Obergefell to be overturned, he announced he would have overturning Obergefell as a litmus test for supreme court appointments, and he droned on and on about, say, the horrors of how the ruling overrides "states' rights". Would you take seriously a poster named Niak who declared "he doesn't oppose gay rights at all"?
    I thought not.

    ReplyDelete
  5. It's a fundamental difference in opinion with the idea is "Money is speech". It is not, Money is Power. And the point is that democracy is not based on the principle of the most wealthy people or organizations (unions, corporations, individuals, or interest groups alike) get to rule.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. When yopu say you think a case was decided wrongly it usually means you think the case was decided wrongly, so there is more here than the question "is money speech?" (which isn't really the question anyway, which is more like, can you spend money to make your speech heard). A movie was being shown. Hillary tried to have the showings stopped by the FEC. This is on its face a clear free speech violation. She made the argument that this was "commercial speech" and could be prohibited. This is the outcome Bernie endorse, and there is no way you can spin it as anything but suppressing the speech of the filmmakers.
      Imagine that Trump wins the GOP nomination. I put on a play at the local theatre, Plautus's The Braggart Soldier. I stage it where the soldier has a big blond comb-over, waves a banner reading "Make Rome great again" and brags about his "yuge schlong". Should Trump be able to get the FEC to close me down? Bernie thinks so.

      Delete